The Grand Conflict
The Grand Conflict, sometimes also called the Grand War, is a series of events currently taking place in Mazeria. It involves a vast number of Mazeria’s nations — including most of the great powers — although not all those involved are partaking in the current battle. It is one of the most widespread conflicts in Mazerian history. There is dispute about when the Grand Conflict exactly started. The current consensus is that it started on March 13, 2014 when Boreo dropped troops in eight Mazerian nations to attack major Nazi targets, but many see it as being the moment when Minkal actually invaded Azelia. The start of the Nazi uprisings, the dissolution of the Entente, the disappearance of King Aaron and the hostage situation in Azelia are all other possible candidates. Course of the conflict This section will discuss all of the major events and situations that took place during the Grand Conflict. It is ordered chronologically, but some parts overlap due to the scale and complexity of the conflict. Nazi Nation Emerges As mentioned earlier, some people see the Nazi uprisings as the start of the Conflict, others do not. Either way, the events that happened during the Nazi threat directly affected, if not caused, the following war. Therefore a short summary is given here of the most important events of the Nazi War. On February 9, 2014 the nation of Nazi United Prussia came into existence. They threatened to convert the entire population of Mazeria to Nazism, and started building up a military to do so. United New Prussia and Guandmare were the first nations to be effected by Nazi attacks, but soon it spread throughout the region. Riots raged throughout Azelia, leading to the death of Chancellor Lincoln and his replacement by Charlotte Keller. Minkal and Boreo started mobilising their armies, and Azelia soon followed suite. Milroman decided to – to the surprise of many – grant partial independence to a Nazi province, the Autonomous Province of Upper Milroman. Matters escalated further when Guandmare found nuclear weapons in the hands of Minkalians in Azelia. Tensions rose between Azelia and Minkal when the former caught sight of a fleet of the latter’s ships. It turned out to be a fleet of defectors, but either way, it placed a wedge between them that has remained there ever since. Missiles were sent in both directions between Nazi United Prussia and Minkal, until finally a ceasefire was signed between the two nations. The Borean Mission The Borean Mission – nicknamed by many as the Borean Mistake – was authorized by Empress Emilia of Boreo on March 13, 2014. The plan was to destroy and hold thirty-eight tactical points currently under control of the Nazi’s in Nazi Prussia, Azelia, Guandmare, Milroman, United New Prussia, Minkal, Luthionia, and the United Kingdom of Canada and Britain. F-11 Dirigible Air Cutters were sent to destroy the targets, followed by tens of thousands of troops to hold the positions. This was not taken lightly by the nations the targets were located in. Minkal, Azelia and UNP demanded the immediate withdrawal of all Borean troops out of their nations. In Milroman, where President Iorio had recently been overthrown in a coup and replaced by President Figola, the Boreans were surrounded and arrested. In Guandmare the situation was worse, as the Guandmarians and Boreans had opened fire on each other. There is still dispute about which side fired first. But they were only the first to confront each other; after Empress Emilia uttered several offensive statements about the other leaders and their capabilities there were several other skirmishes within Minkal and UNP, and casualties started to run high. Minkal executed twelve alleged Borean spies they had found in their territory, which Boreo claimed were members of the NGO Education for All and staff of the Borean High Ambassador in Minkal. President Nagrem of Luthionia approached the situation slightly less aggressively. The Boreans were given a deadline of five days to leave the country. Nagrem implored his fellow Mazerian leaders to remember who the real enemy was, the Nazis. He stated that the Boreans would have to be tried in an international court of war for their actions, and not be attacked by their former allies. Azelian Secretary of State Claire Genel agreed with the Luthionian President, but also stated that despite the fact that the Nazis were fighting a losing battle the Boreans had not yet withdrawn their troops, which was troublesome. The Boreans had made their mistake, and they would face the consequences – ultimately on the battlefield, instead of in a courtroom. Dissolution of the Entente Several days after the Borean Mission, Boreo withdrew itself from the Mazerian Entente – one of, if not the, most influential alliance in Mazeria. This left only Milroman and Azelia in the Entente, and friction was arising between those two allies as well. Chancellor Charlotte of Azelia did not recognize the current Milromanian President as a legitimate one, and so threatened to remove Milroman from the Entente if President Iorio was not reinstated as President. Figola refused to comply, and Milroman was removed from the Entente. This meant that the Entente was no more. Three of the region’s largest superpowers who had once been allies, now remained divided. And tensions kept on rising between the three members. Emperor David of Boreo, son of King Aaron of Azelia, denounced his Azelian heritage, to the dismay of his – former – family. Azelia severed all ties with their Borean counterparts, and removed them of all their titles, land, assets and inheritance. Milroman arrested the entire Borean ambassadorial corps in Saint Rou, followed by Boreo ordering the expulsion of the Milromanian Ambassador in Amaethon. Not only with its former allies was Boreo having trouble; Guandmare had managed to take back their land held by the Boreans. Azelia attempted to diffuse the situation by organizing talks between the former Entente members, but to no avail. President Figola – who was now recognized by the Azelians, after former President Iorio officially resigned – agreed to attend the talks, but Empress Emilia did not. The Red Advance While conflict tore throughout Northern Mazeria, Boreo seemd to have problems of its own to deal with. Both peaceful and violent protests were being held in the West of Boreo by communists, who were demanding a more radically left-wing government. Minkal denied to be fuelling these rebellions, but it was clear that they approved of the rebels’ actions, if they were not funding them. The protests spread to Azelia within days, where the state of New Ota was affected the most. A meeting between President Figola and Commander Eldofski went badly, after Eldofski tried to convince Figola to become more communist. To the surprise of many, Empress Emilia granted Lizan Province, Khoria Province, and Northam Province independence as the Socialist Republic of Boreo, in a move to appease the popular movement that have ravaged the three provinces in the prior week and a half. Minkal praised Emilia for her choice, and decided to make peace with Boreo, instead focusing its military on its border with Azelia. Prime Minister Devos of Luthionia also approved of the SRB’s independence, and applauded Boreo’s swift actions to grant their people what they wanted. The communist uprisings in the Azelian state of New Ota intensified, and riot police were deployed to attempt to keep them under control. Guandmare’s Head of Military, Gerokav Arekivoa, was injured by a bomb planted by communist movement ‘The Red Eagles’. Later the communist riots also spread to Pouksland, where it immediately turned into a full-out battle between the government and the communists. It is thought that the Minkalian government played a major role in funding the communists in Pouksland. The Amaethon Congress Along with the SRB’s independence, Boreo announced it would be hosting talks in Amaethon to create an alliance ‘greater than the Entente had ever been’. Invited were Minkal, Pouksland, Tannarabia, RS Dynasty and Luthionia. Minkal immediately accepted the invitation, due to its new and surprising alliance with Boreo. Commander Edolfski decided to destroy Entente Island, as a symbol of the complete destruction of the Entente and the formation of a new alliance. Two sides were obviously forming in this war; Boreo and Minkal against Azelia and Milroman. Guandmare’s position in all this was unclear, but it was deemed likely they would join Azelia and Milroman if war broke out. Chancellor Charlotte of Azelia threatened that anybody who allied with Boreo and Minkal would be seen as an enemy of the State. Luthionia didn’t immediately respond to Boreo’s invitation, as it questioned Boreo’s failure to invite Guandmare to the congress. Luthionia and Guandmare were allies since the signing of the Treaty of Saculium and the creation of the Meridian Union. Boreo immediately apologised to Guandmare for the conflicts between their nations and stated that Guandmare was more than welcome to take part in the talks. Unfortunately there was a small accidental skirmish between Minkalian and Guanmarian troops, making Guandmare reluctant to attend the congress. President Nagrem of Luthionia and President Korpekei of Pouksland finally agreed to attend the conference in Amaethon despite Azelia’s threats. Eldofski, Nagrem and Korpekei met with Grand Duke Fredrick Calloway in Amaethon, due to the Empress being stuck in a snowstorm in the SRB. But the meeting was only just about to start when grievous news reached both Grand Duke Calloway and President Nagrem. Before we can continue on that matter, however, we have to describe the situation in Azelia itself, where all was not well. Division within Azelia Friction had already been building up between the Royalist Part and the State Party of Azelia for some time, and the current situation was only making it worse. When Azelia and Minkal still stood united against Boreo, Minkal had offered to send troops into Azelia to assist with manning the border with Boreo, as Azelia’s border is longer than that of Minkal. The Royalists had been against the motion, while the State Party was for. Chancellor Charlotte had allowed the Minkalians into a restricted area close to the tripoint between the three nations, angering the Royalists. But the situation escalated with King Aaron’s disappearance, and Chancellor Charlotte’s reluctance to release any information on the matter. Only three fleets were dispatched to find the King, to the dismay of many Azelians. Rumours went round that the Chancellor herself was responsible for the King’s disappearance, in an attempt to overthrow the Monarchy and install a Republic. Milroman actually sent out more ships to find the King than Azelia itself. Not long after his disappearance King Aaron was found by a Minkalian patrol, and airlifted to a hospital in Boreo, where he was tended to. Arguments were breaking out within Azelia as to who was responsible, and many pro-Royalists pointed the finger at Chancellor Charlotte, who denied all allegations. Boreo released a statement saying that the King wasn’t in a good enough state to be moved to Azelia as of yet. The Azelians gave Boreo a deadline as to when the King was to be returned home. The Hostage Situation It turned out that in a plan to create peace between the two sides of the conflict, President Nagrem had decided to send his Prime Minister to Azelia to meet with Princess Katherine at the same time as he himself was meeting with the Boreans, Minkalians and Poukslandish. What he didn’t know was that the Princess had also been missing, just like her father, and as soon as Prime Minister Devos landed in Azelia he and his companions, the Head of the Luthionian Secret Service and the Defence Minister, were arrested. Their security were executed on the spot, their bodies discovered by a Minkalian freighter in the Imperial Straits. Boreo, with a similar idea in mind, had sent Emperor David, Duke Percy and his girlfriend Clara Anderson to Azelia on a fact-finding mission. They had been welcomed into Azelia in the same manner as the Luthionian delegation had, and were imprisoned in the same container. The six detainees were charged with spying and conspiracy to overthrow the elected Azelian Government, and sentenced to die the following morning. They could be seen on Azelian national television with guns pressed to their heads, their identities and crimes explained by the news reader. Boreo immediately initiated a mission to save the hostages, codenamed Operation Claviska ć Prucî ć Dævid. Tens of thousands of troops would march on Denstron, the capital of Azelia. The First Legion would be responsible of finding and assassinating Chancellor Charlotte, High General Adams, and Secretary of Defense Bill Hanstead. Meanwhile, a task force consisting of Borean, Luthonian and Minkalian troops would locate and rescue the six hostages. Meanwhile in Minkal, Commander Eldofski’s sister, Alexandra, who had been left in command during his absence, was shot and almost killed. The identity of the assassin is still unknown, but there is strong evidence towards it being an Azelian spy. In Luthionia, the military had been put on a state of high alert, and the President had stated that if one hair was touched on the heads of the hostages, it would mean full-on war. In Pouksland the communists were gaining momentum, and all was being done to keep them at bay. Only five of the six hostages could be saved. Before the mixed task force stormed the Azelian base, Clara Anderson was fatally shot in the chest. The other hostages were unharmed, apart from being in varying degrees of shock. Before Boreo even got close to the Azelian capital, however, a team of highly trained operatives stormed the Chancellor’s house and blew it up. Her family, staff and the Chancellor herself were killed in the blast. Minkal has still not admitted to being responsible, but the consensus among other nations is that it was Eldofski who gave the command. Either way, Chancellor Charlotte was dead. Chaos throughout Mazeria Somehow Minkalian soldiers managed to march into the Grand Victoria Hospital in Amaethon, and remove King Aaron with a helicopter. The Boreans managed to halt the helicopter before it crossed the border, and brought the King back to their capital. Empress Emilia was dismayed at Eldofski’s actions, and questioned if he really was her ally. Meanwhile in Luthionia, Prime Minister Devos was shot by an Azelian anti-Royalist. The man had been aiming for the President, but missed. Devos was taken into hospital with a punctured lung, but the bullet wound was not fatal. He did however resign as Prime Minister, and was replaced by Birgitte Nieuwburg. Chancellor Charlotte might be dead, but her loyal followers were still very much alive. The communists hadn’t given up yet either. A Meridian Union building in Guandmare was attacked by the Red Eagles, the Guandmarian communist terrorists. There were several Guandmarian and a Luthionian casualty. But communism in Pouksland was gaining more ground than anywhere else. Newly appointed chief of Tzüche's police, Karla Wardavoy, was kidnapped shortly after her acceptance speech. Fire fights tore through the nation. The communists were planning something. Minkal goes Haywire Minkal’s kidnapping of King Aaron and cooperation with the communists had made their relationship with Boreo go sour. Boreo seemed more inclined to start repairing their ties with their former ally, Azelia, instead of keeping up those with Minkal. And then Commander Eldofski decided to invade Azelia. Minkal invaded the state of New Ota, to help the communist revolutionaries there rise to power. Azelia immediately retaliated by mobilising their troops and bombing Minkal’s. Chancellor Austin of Azelia declared war on Minkal. This was technically the first declaration of war in this entire conflict. Bombardments started in both directions between the two nations at war. Neither side gained any territory; their militaries were a perfect match for each other in strength. One day Minkal would conquer some territory, the following day Azelia would take it back. Milroman supported its ally, and deployed a large part of its land, naval and air forces, including several nuclear submarines and a regiment of newly designed tanks. There was also a major confrontation between Guandmare and Minkal, the Battle of Gorbave, in which Gorbave Checkpoint was attacked by Minkalian troops. Atrocities were committed by the Minkalians, including the burning alive of wounded soldiers. General Arekivoa was present at the battle himself. Finally the Minkalians bombed the checkpoint, but Arekivoa managed to get away. Half of his face was left severely burnt. Boreo attempted to initiate talks between Azelia, Minkal and Milroman, but President Eldofski just laughed at the invitation and said that he would cleanse the world of the ‘fascist’ Azelian royalists. Soon after Boreo discovered that Minkal was amassing soldiers at its border. Boreo retaliated swiftly, and attacked Minkal. Now Minkal was at war on three fronts; the Entente was back in action. The communists in Pouksland put their plans into effect. They slaughtered civilians in the Azelian city of Lizan and attacked the Azelian embassy in Tzüche, all in Poukslandish military and police uniform to make it look as if it was Pouksland itself. A week later President Korpekei was forced to sign a declaration of war upon Azelia. Fortunately the war didn’t last for long enough for there to be any further casualties, as loyal Poukslandish forces managed to secure the President and his family, and Korpekei managed to convince the Azelians that what he had done was out of fear for the lives of his family. Milroman and Boreo were effectively invading Minkal now, while Azelia remained on the defensive. Minkal bombed Milroman with missiles that peppered the nation with small explosive devices that blew up on touch. They also managed to breach Azelia’s defensive wall, but were being held off by the Azelian army. Another battle was taking place on Entente Island between Minkalian and Milromanian forces, and the Milromanians managed to seize the island, not that there was much left of it when they did. They managed to hold the island despite Minkal’s attempts to retake it. Milroman also ordered missile strikes upon many of Minkal’s military bases, taking out most of Minkal’s army stationed on the coast. Minkal saw that it was fighting a losing battle, and Eldofski resorted to the age-old saying ‘Desperate times call for desperate measures.’ The Purple Death It was a clear day when suddenly a missile was seen flying over Gorbave Checkpoint. When it landed, it didn’t explode, instead emitting a purple gas into the air throughout the base. Those without gas masks were rapidly convulsing on the ground, their skin turning an unpleasant shade of purple. Moments later they were on their feet again, the neuropathogen having taken over their nervous system. They turned on their comrades, ripping their former friends to pieces. Gorbave Checkpoint wasn’t the only are effected by the bioweapon, soon dubbed the ‘Purple Death’. Milroman and Boreo took enormous casualties, while Azelia remained temporarily unaffected, due to the fact they hadn’t invaded Minkal, only acted defensively. Milroman fully retreated into Azelia, but Boreo pushed on into Minkal’s territory. Minkal unleashed test subjects that had been experimented on with the Purple Death, and managed to push the Boreans back to their border. But soon the situation got completely out of hand. The infectious agent mutated to become contagious via bites and scratches. It was also discovered that it emitted low but detectable levels of radiation. The disease spread like wildfire, especially throughout Minkal, its own creator. Milroman attempted to slow the infection by bombing all affected areas with incendiary missiles, but was only partially successful. Azelia and Boreo are also seriously affected by the disease. So far no other countries have been infected, but it may only be a matter of time. Involved nations The following nations are those most involved in the Grand Conflict. Alongside them the most important figures of each nation during the Conflict are listed. Category:International Incidents